


We Know What it is to Love

by JenelleLucia



Category: Grancrest Senki | Record of Grancrest War
Genre: F/M, Family Fluff, Post-Canon, this is the first almarrine fic and second gs fic on this site, this might be a chapter fic???? who knows????
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-24
Updated: 2018-09-25
Packaged: 2019-05-27 15:59:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,082
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15028130
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JenelleLucia/pseuds/JenelleLucia
Summary: the moments of an emperor, his wife and chancellor, and their children. alexis / marrine, post-canon and family fluff.





	1. lullaby

**Author's Note:**

> so, there's this show that's very fire emblem esque if y'all are into that...and i just so happened to finish it and i'm blown away. this show deserves so much more love than it's getting already ;;;;;
> 
>  
> 
> also, shoutout to my bunso for watching with me??? i love her so much w o w

Marrine Kreische, even during a time of peace, does not sleep.  
  
The Chancellor has dreams of course -- dreams of a past that she knows she cannot take back. She dreams of blood shed years ago, of her cousin Villar and that if he could only see her now he'd smile and she  _destroyed_ any chance of seeing him smile ever again, and of the Great Hall Tragedy, where she watched her father die before her and her resolve, for a moment breaking and rebuilding itself once more. She sees Milza in her dreams sometimes, of him hovering before her when he took her virtue that very night.  
  
And every night, she wakes.   
  
It's almost on instinct when she reaches over for her husband, fingers grazing against the sheets to make sure --  _to feel_ \-- that he's there beside her, that he  _should_ be there beside her, and when she looks over the place where Alexis should have been is empty. Marrine's gaze falls to her lap for a moment, as she mulls over where her husband might have been. Painting, perhaps, though it's so late and the only light that might have been able to provide him comfort was candlelight, or with their twins. One of them must have woken up again, and he probably left her side to go comfort them both to keep her from waking up. 

Marrine pushes the blanket off of her and swings her legs over the side of the bed, getting up and leaving it. She takes her robe from the side of the bed, and wraps it around herself, walking to the grand double doors and carefully pushing them open. Waking up the rest of the staff was what she wanted the least to happen, and she used the moonlight as her guide to the twins' room.   
  
.

Finding her way down the corridor was not hard, and when she finally came to the twins' room she noticed that the door was slightly ajar, and she peeked in to see her husband, sitting in the rocking chair with the twins in his arms and humming a song to them. It was a song that she hadn't heard in a long time, an old lullaby around the continent, and Marrine smiles to herself.

 _Alexis works himself too hard_ , she muses to herself, and even if he was tired, after a long day of dealing with the court and rebuilding and establishing the Leon Empire in his own ways, he always made time for their children. 

She had to admit that she worked herself too hard, too. Maybe that was the reason why she couldn't sleep. 

"I'm sorry if I worried you when I left," she hears him speak up from where he's sitting, the twins in his arms. He knew she was there, didn't he? "Isabel woke up, and I didn't want you or Mathias to wake up because of her, but...Mathias woke up as soon as I came in and -- " 

"It's alright," she replies, shaking her head as she comes in and closes the doors behind her. She doesn't know how he does it, but seeing a smile on Alexis' face makes Marrine smile, too. "If Isabel woke up you should have told me...I mean, we both know how she is..." 

Alexis chuckles for a moment, adjusting his hold on the babies with a nod. "That's true." It's then he peers at her, and he knows. 

"You couldn't sleep again?" 

She shakes her head, and he's about to get up to hand her the babies to pull up a chair for her by him, but she shakes her head and holds up a hand, as if she were telling him to stay put. She takes another chair and pulls it up next to him, and Alexis stops in his rocking for a moment, planting his feet firmly on the ground. 

"...Did you see anything new tonight?" Marrine knew very well Alexis was no stranger to these types of dreams either, and if it made him better by talking out his feelings and then painting about them...

"I saw my father this time," she answered, and that was it. Alexis nodded; Marrine was going to talk to him more about it later, as she always did. Just as they stopped speaking, a small sniffle hit the air, and then a whimper and it's second nature to them now to look down and check which twin it is. 

"Isabel's a light sleeper," Marrine muses. She knows who their daughter gets it from, and she leans over to lay her head on her husband's shoulder. Alexis' head touches hers as well, and he resumes his slow rocking back and forth. He also resumes his humming, this time for the three of them, and slowly, Marrine closes her eyes to her husband's voice and the slow rocking as well. 

Marrine Kreische, for a moment of peace when there isn't, finally sleeps. 

(In the morning, the maids find the royal family nestled comfortably in rocking chairs and sleeping together, and they leave them be.) 


	2. snowfall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> isabel and mathias are old enough, and in war, there was never time to enjoy the snow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's summer and i don't miss the snow, but this entire family deserves a day to play in it anyways.

There was a side to Alexis that could be considered akin to childlike wonder, and to know that Alexis had such a genuine curiosity for things even now never failed to surprise Marrine. Leon was blanketed in snow one day, and a very good amount, to boot. The winter wasn't as rough as it had been in past years, not when the Chaos was bound to make it that way, and by no means was the winter any kinder, but it was  _better._

Alexis is already at the window when Marrine wakes, and he's watching the snow begin to fall. There were plenty of things they could do, given that the snowfall was gentle this time around and the snow was clearly untouched for the time being. The windows of the room where he stored his many paintings were extremely tall, so he could wipe them clean of frost and paint what was out there, leave some of it to interpretation, or take the children outside to play. 

Isabel and Mathias were old enough, at the point where they could walk and talk, and this was their first snowfall after all. 

"Alexis...?" Marrine breaks the silence as she sits up in their bed with a yawn, and before she could even blink Alexis is already at her side, clutching her hands in his. He had already made his mind up the moment he turned to face her. 

"Marrine, this is the twins's first snowfall!" 

"Huh...?" 

"We have to take them outside to enjoy it!" 

All the tiredness seemed to melt away, as did her resolve. It was impossible to say no to Alexis, especially when he was so bent on doing this for their children and for the sake of letting them enjoy themselves in the snow, as war had left them no time to do such a thing. She smiled as she squeezed her husband's hands back. 

"Let's go see if they're awake then." 

.

It's after breakfast that Alexis and Marrine bring their twins out to the courtyard, where the hedges and the benches and the archways and the pavement are all covered in snow. Mathias nestles snugly in his mother's arms, trying to shrink a little in an effort to keep himself warm, and Isabel is the one who takes the lead, toddling with her father's hand clasped around hers as she wades through the tall blocks of snow. 

Alexis tries to keep up with his daughter, catching her every now and then as she falls in the snow with a laugh. It makes Marrine laugh, too, and eventually Mathias wants to join his older sister, the lasting warm touch that his mother gives him before he toddles off with his father is her fixing his hat. 

"Marrine, come join us!" Alexis calls to her, and she carefully lifts her skirt to make her way through them, stepping in Alexis' footprints that mixed with their twins'. She smooths out her skirt as she sits on the ground, very close to them, watching as Alexis led their children in various activities. Snow angels, snowmen, making tracks through the snow...watching the three of them never failed to make her smile. 

It was then Isabel appeared first from behind the large tree in the center of the courtyard, followed by Mathias, and then Alexis behind the both. The twins were squealing and giggling and the twins landed almost immediately in Marrine's arms when she opened hers wide enough for the both of them to fit. There was enough room left for Alexis to fit and the parents embraced their children in a tight hug. 

"I think they enjoyed themselves quite thoroughly, don't you?" Marrine asked, the smile never fading as their twins nestled into her.

"They did," Alexis nods, eyes smiling and locks onto her gaze. "I would stay out here with all of you forever --" 

" - choo!" It's almost on instinct that the parents look down at where the source of the sneeze comes from and when the see Mathias rubbing at his nose, they look up at each other with another shared gaze. 

" -- We should bring them inside, shouldn't we?" 

"We should, yes." 

. 

A hot fire was waiting for them inside the emperor's art room and lounge, and along with constantly checking on Mathias and that he didn't pick anything up outside, Marrine watches the twins sleep on her lap and averts her gaze to an easel, knowing very well who was behind it. 

"Are you sure I can't see it yet?" she asks, and she giggles softly when Alexis peeks his head out from the side. 

"Not yet! I'm almost finished," he promises, then leaning back up to focus his full attention on it. "I want to make this perfect." 

"It's perfect regardless, Alexis." It's so reassuring in the way she says it that her husband is smiling behind the canvas, and he peeks out to look at his family just as she turns her gaze back down to their sleeping twins nestled comfortably at her sides. He knows what he's capturing is perfect, and so it's in a few moments that he calls her around to come take a look. Marrine replaces her lap with a rather large pillow that both her twins can fit on and she goes around to look at what her husband had painted for them. 

"Oh, Alexis..." What she sees is the rest of the lounge, illuminated by the fire in the fireplace and her sitting on the red velvet sofa with their children on her lap and her looking down at them. Alexis takes a step back to look at what he made, and he smiles when Marrine hooks her arms around his and nestles her head into his shoulder. 

"It's perfect," she whispers, and all he can do is rest his head over hers and nod. 


	3. speak

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "talk to them." / "how do we know they're listening?" / "they are. just give it a try."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so, i'm going to have some chapters where isabel and mathias aren't born yet, or they're not even children anymore but they're adults! enjoy this one x

Alexis never was one to brag, and this was certainly not something to brag about because it was always  _true_ , but Marrine was _always_ in good health. 

Marrine, physically, was the stronger one out of the both of them, which was something that he didn't mind admitting in the slightest. She was always able to keep going longer than the both of them, and even under moments of stress she was always able to push through. That was something that he both admired and worried about her, in that it would eventually affect her in the long run, but she always told him not to worry about it. 

(Even so...) 

Things changed, however, when Marrine had gotten pregnant. 

Of course, she was fine at first -- able to go around while she was still able, making rounds around the Leon Empire and doing her tasks without fail. There was no way that she was going to let pregnancy stop her, and she intended to keep working even when she had to give birth, and even after. Her work never stopped after all, but she did take extra caution (and as stubborn as she was, she  _did_ spend most of her time listening to Alexis, not as emperor but as a worried husband, to take her breaks as she needed). 

Things had only started to become a challenge when she had reached around four months. Difficulty breathing, getting sick faster, constant aches and pains...Alexis had not known how it happened, with Marrine nearly collapsing at an event possibly out of exhaustion, but after consulting doctors, he had her confined to bed rest much to her protest. He knew that all that extra stress wouldn't have been good for her or the baby, as he mentally cursed himself for letting her go on that way and push herself. 

She'd constantly protest that she was fine, and that she still had a job to do. After all, it wasn't like she could abandon it forever, and when Alexis was able to stand his ground, he was never one to argue. She was sure of that much. He was also a husband first, and an emperor second -- that was just how he worked, much to her opposition on that. 

"I'm fine, really," she'd tell him, after another day of being kept for bedrest. "Please, Alexis, focus on the people. Not me." 

"I'm not married to the people," he'd reply, and he'd grab her hands in response. "I married you, Marrine. And I can worry about my wife as much as I want, thank you!" 

She'd only smile and nod, and he'd fluff the sides of her pillow once more. They always had this conversation, after all. 

. 

As the months went on, and Marrine -- thanks to the doctors' intervention -- was able to begin getting around again and doing her work, it had become a cycle. Nearly working herself to death, getting sick again, bedrest...it had become an endless cycle that was not only risking Marrine's health, but also their baby's. 

Alexis couldn't stand to see his wife getting sicker and sicker, even if it meant her working harder and creating progress for the kingdom. For once, Marrine agreed when he suggested bedrest for the rest of the time being -- he'd call someone else in to handle it, maybe Sir Lassic or Sir Selge if they didn't mind -- and for the rest of the time, until the baby was born (give or take a couple more weeks or so), Marrine wasn't to work any more. 

He spends his nights at his wife's side, asking her if she needs anything or needs to call for the doctor. The contractions are coming more, false alarms every now and then, and sometimes it hurt to move and breathe and everything ached -- there were nights when Alexis simply couldn't sleep because he was watching his wife lose sleep, and she was getting sicker and he had no idea what to do. He sought counsel from advisers who were already fathers, exchanged letters with old friends and allies for their input, and all the more tried his own remedies, even wished to take the pain from her and bear it himself. 

(But there was nothing that he could do besides provide comfort and support, and watch her take the pain on her own.) 

. 

There were nights when the contractions were too much for Marrine to handle, and so with her husband's help she'd simply sit up and try to breath them through. Alexis' hand was on the small of her back rubbing soothing circles to ease the knots, and the other hand was patting her now rather large bump and trying to search for any of their baby's kicks -- which they were bound to do at some point. 

"Are you feeling better?" he whispers and she nods slightly, but then she winces and shakes her head. Another contraction, he assumes, and he rubs the spot on her belly where she tells him to. 

"They haven't heard your voice yet, have they?" she asks him, and it's something he shouldn't have to mull over but he does and he shakes his head with a sheepish smile. How long had it been, and yet he had never been able to talk to his child once? Alright, he had to retract that statement -- of course he had spoken to their child, in quick conversations and in the morning before he had to leave to do his duties, and at night before he slept. Marrine, of course, had more time to speak with their child, and he assumed that they were going to grow much closer, but he rubbed her belly when she patted at his hand to do so. 

"Talk to them," she encourages him once more. "They've heard my voice plenty of times -- let them listen to yours." 

He continues rubbing her belly, this time pursing his lips together in thought. "How do we know they're listening?" 

"They are. Just give it a try." The way she promises him that is incredibly reassuring, and she smiles as she watched him place his face closer to her bump and he begins speaking. He stops rubbing his wife's belly and keeps still for a moment. Maybe if he speaks, then the baby would answer him with a kick. That was a worth a try, right? 

And so he begins. "Hello, there! It's Papa again...your Mama and I just wanted to let you know that we love you very much..." 


	4. crushes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> it's the end of alexis' life as he sees it -- and in a sense, almost rightfully so.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so, we're going to introduce new characters here! my boy lassic david (god i love u lassic) and, his son!

Visits from old allies were quite the surprise, now that a time of peace held for rebuilding and continuing to live life as it went. It didn't mean, though, that the royal family was isolated in hearing news from friends and old allies around the country. News came in handfuls -- some friends were starting their own families, others had gone on adventures and haven't been seen since. There were friends who lived and died, and there were friends whom they never really heard from at all -- simply for the fact that they had no sort of closeness to the Emperor and the Chancellor other than their alliances. 

Sometimes, there were even surprise visits made to the castle -- not that Alexis and Marrine had minded in the slightest, as it served them a distraction away from the ever growing list of duties they had to fulfill, but simply the thought of catching up with an old friend or ally gave them insight on what to help them and their region with. 

Despite him being rather close with Theo Cornaro, Lassic David's -- especially from the moment Marrine learned that she was pregnant -- visits to the castle were not only surprising, but he became a regular for any event there, but he brought the twins gifts and spoke of his own child. 

"Alexander's a growing boy," he'd say, after greeting the ever excited twins who awaited "Uncle Lassic's" arrival and now sitting down with Alexis and Marrine. "He's just around the twins' age - probably a couple months older than they are, but the lad's always running around and getting himself into trouble." 

"Like you?" Marrine would tease, earning a laugh from her husband beside her and stammering from their visitor sitting in front of them. 

That still never stopped him from visiting, though. 

~ 

There's one particular day when Lassic writes to the royal couple. This time, this is one of his more announced visits, and in the letters he exchanges with Marrine he tells them that he's staying over for a couple nights if they didn't mind, and that this time he was going to bring his son with him. There were times in his visits Lassic would sit with Isabel and Mathias and he'd tell them all about Alexander, that he was their age and that they would get along well. There was absolutely no doubt about that. 

So then, they prepared everything for the Earl of Savis' visit, and prepared a room for his son. Even more letters were exchanged about their favorite foods, and what they would have liked to eat for the next couple of days -- luckily, it was mostly foods that the royal couple were sure they would be able to eat (and get the twins to eat, no less) and immediately they sent the list off to the chefs.

The particular day that Lassic and Alexander came, was actually rather late at night, while the twins were sleeping. Marrine was close to heading off to bed, and so was Alexis, but when they received word from a messenger that Lassic and his son had arrived, they came down to greet the two. Alexander had already nodded off, so he wasn't likely to greet their guests until the early morning, but his father was as awake as ever, but tired nonetheless. 

"He knocked out on the way here, so he's definitely going to say hello in the morning," he tells them, and the royal couple reassures him that there's no rush. They escort him up to his room, and soon Marrine and Alexis make their way up to their own once they're both settled. 

~ 

In time, Alexander becomes accustomed to the twins being around him, and is even one of their first friends. Of course, Lassic would chide him every now and then about manners, and Alexis and Marrine would tell him not to mind it -- kids were kids, and even then the three knew well to behave around them, but when it was just the three of them together, they were free to play around as much as they liked. 

The courtyard was their world, not quite like the outside world, but it was their world for now. The high, trimmed hedges were their forests and the sections of the gardens were mazes to them, their own kingdoms and fortresses, and the tree with the shade was their resting place, where they could all sit and relax without a care -- either that, or well, until their parents were able to come find them. 

Without Mathias, though, as he'd sometimes prefer to stay inside and speak with his parents and Uncle Lassic, it left Isabel and Alexander to their own devices -- same personalities, sure, yet quite the opposite. Isabel didn't want to be treated as a princess, nor had she wanted to act like one, and the rose gardens and the hedges were her fortresses. She preferred to run around and wrestle and fight and Alexander was the perfect playmate for just that. Not that Mathias was softer by any means, but he never wanted to play that way and she was fine with that - compromise was always their thing when it came to what they wanted to play. Her mother was the one to indulge her in those activities, and at the end of the day, without a doubt a hug from her mother was there to bring her back to earth. 

Alexander was the perfect story teller, and he had a vivid imagination. Isabel was just the perfect listener, as she -- like his father -- indulged him in his stories with excitement, and with the courtyard as their world, his stories were possible. She was by no means a fragile princess in their stories, but a brave one, and he was just the knight in shining armor who followed along as a companion. 

The courtyard was right outside Alexis' window and he would watch them from his office. Mathias usually preferred not to play around with them at times, but when he did he always did he was also one of the knights that followed them on their adventures. He talked to his parents and Uncle Lassic about the games they played and the other two heartily agreed. 

(Their parents would simply laugh and try to get them to finish their dinner in no time.) 

~ 

"It's your last day here, isn't it?" Isabel looks over at Alexander, and he nods. The day after tomorrow, she's not going to have her knight in shining armor anymore, and she's only got her twin as her playmate -- not that she minds that in the slightest, but it was even better just having him there, too. She knows that sooner or later she's going to write letters to him, and that when his father visits there's a likely chance that he might not be coming along, but with the help of her parents her letters might just be filled with asking when he was going to come visit next. 

Even more, maybe with her brother's help, she'd have more of an excuse to visit Savis. 

"Are you coming to visit Savis soon?" he asks. "Because you should." 

"Is that because you're there?" 

"No! We just have a lot of food there!" One thing that he's learned in the past couple of days, and she certainly didn't inherit this from her parents, but Isabel couldn't say no to food -- most especially sweets. "And...and we have sweets, too!" 

"We have to play one more game," she hears him when he promises her that there are sweets in Savis, and she pushes herself up with her hands and stands in front of him. "You're gonna be my prince and you're gonna have to rescue me! I'm gonna be the princess!" 

"Err...well, don't you always fight or something?" he does make a point, and the type of princess Isabel likes to play is the one that never needs saving. 

"This time, I want you to save me! And then afterwards." she puckers her lips, and she watches him make a face in disgust. "You're gonna have to kiss me!" 

"Gross! I don't wanna kiss you!" He makes a run for it, rounding a corner around the nearest hedge, and Isabel laughs at him, following behind. She can hear him laughing and that only makes her break into a sprint. 

~ 

Alexis, as usual, is watching their exchange from the window of his office, and he could hear everything. Marrine comes in from behind and places her hands on his shoulders. Isabel's puckering her lips for Alexander and he sprints off. They watch her laugh and she follows after him, and they're watching Alexander round the corner for the nearest hedge. 

"They're having fun, aren't they?" Marrine asks, looking up at her husband with a smile, and he nods. 

(It's just kids being kids, and they're glad their twins know what that feels like.)

~ 

It's not until Alexander and Lassic leave that almost immediately Isabel goes up and asks her parents to visit Savis. 

"Why?" her parents ask. 

"Because Alexander's there! Also, can I write him a letter?" is her reason, and Marrine gives Alexis a small smile. 

With that, it's the end of Alexis' life as he sees it -- and in a sense, almost rightfully so.


	5. priscilla

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> mathias makes a new friend during his family's visit to sistina.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OOOF it's been a while, and so we have a new oc child, priscilla! you can guess whose child she is ;3

Other than Uncle Lassic visiting every now and then, making the trip out to other lands was simply customary. Of course, Marrine and Alexis always made sure to let their twins know about being on their best behavior while they visited, and that was always something Isabel and Mathias were able to do -- for the most part, anyway. Children were children, and the twins were able to live up to that to the utmost, until they were alone anyway. Visits consisted of the usual routine, which was greeting other Lords, seeing the lands and the people, and there was nothing new about it, but the twins were always about to occupy themselves with gifts given to them, or even with the occasional questions they were asked. 

After that, it was just always up to their parents. 

This visit was no different in a way, and Sistina had enough land for them to run around on. That was probably the one good thing about it. And there were times before that their parents went without them to spare them from getting tired out easily or even being bored during the trips. They had decided that they were at least a little older now, and that hopefully their friends wouldn't have minded them coming along. 

(One night Isabel and Mathias laid together in the rather large bed they shared, side by side as they looked up at their bedroom ceiling. Their parents had just tucked them in and left them to try and get some sleep, but the twins were only blinked up at the ceiling and counting the patterns on their walls with the moonlight streaming through their windows as their guide.

"Mama and Papa have a lot of friends," Mathias pointed out to his sister, who nodded in agreement. 

"Does that mean we're going to have a lot of friends as we grow up too?" she asks him in response. "Like Alexander?" Alexander was already their friend, to say the least. Uncle Lassic was their parents' friend, and if their parents had more friends, then maybe that meant that they were going to make friends of their own, just like them. 

"Yeah!" he watches Isabel turn onto her side, and he copies her. She's out before he is and in time, he's asleep, too. 

 _I hope we make more friends_.) 

.

The only things that seemed to have interested Isabel and Mathias during the carriage ride to Sistina were the actual breaks in between, where Alexis and Marrine were able to let them get out and stretch, and stopping in all the different towns. Surely, they had some things to bring back to Alexander and Uncle Lassic when they came to visit again! The little shops and going from town to town almost made the trip entirely worthwhile. 

Sistina was nowhere near small, and there was always the space they needed to run around in. They remembered that much, it seemed, as a green haired man carrying a rather large basket of grapes at his hip waved them over. Their parents took their hands as they walked to meet him halfway, and they introduced the man as Theo Cornaro (he insisted that they call him Uncle Theo, which they took to calling him almost right away) and that he was the first emperor before their father was. Isabel and Mathias weren't sure whether or not to bow, or anything of the sort, but Theo ruffled their hair individually with a big smile and told their parents not to worry, and that it had been quite a while since he had seen them last. 

"It's probably been a while, but you remember my daughter," Uncle Theo is looking their parents in the eye, and Isabel and Mathias exchange glances with each other. Uncle Theo had a daughter? Their parents are talking with him now, saying that the last time they visited she was around the same age as the twins were. She was their age, it seemed, and Mathias was pretty sure that if there was anyone Uncle Theo's daughter was going to get along with, it was going to be his twin sister. Alexander played with him when it was the both of them, and they were always telling stories too, but he spent most of his time with Isabel. This new friend might not be that different. 

Uncle Theo and Aunt Siluca live modestly, but it's a rather large place, and the guest rooms are all prepared for them. It isn't until a little while later that Irvin, Luna, and Emma come back to greet them after going out and about on the town, and the twins are hand in hand with a little green haired girl with purple eyes. Pieces of her hair were tied back and she stopped in her sweeping to go greet her father. Mathias blinks when she comes over to them, her father's hand clasped over hers, and it's when he introduces her to them. 

Priscilla is her name, and just as she's about to curtsey to them, Mathias and Isabel look up to see their father ruffle her hair with a large smile and introduce himself and their mother as old friends of her father's. Priscilla's looking at them now, when he introduces Mathias and Isabel and they're just blinking at each other for a moment before Isabel holds her hand out for her to shake. Priscilla takes it, and shakes it as enthusiastically. 

(Mathias sometimes wishes he has the courage his sister does, and that's when Priscilla looks at him.) 

Priscilla's looking at him, and he she holds out her hand for him to shake. He looks at it for a moment, and with a gentle nudge from his twin, he takes it. 

Her hands are soft, and when he looks up from their hands he sees that she's smiling at him, and he can't help but to blush. 

.

They spend nearly a week in Sistina, almost two. When their parents are working on how to improve Sistina or even helping Uncle Theo and Aunt Siluca in the fields, the twins are running wild with Priscilla in the fields. She's the one who takes them through the town to meet the local children, and usually Emma and Luna are by their side accompanying them. Better yet, they're sometimes in the Cornaro family's backyard, reading under the large tree that reminded them of home. 

Mathias found, particularly, that Priscilla tended to stick around him more than she did with Isabel. Sure, she spent enough of her time with Isabel, and they got along very well, but there were days where Isabel wanted to follow her parents around, and without hesitation Priscilla went to Mathias, and they did things they never did when they were with his twin. 

Pillow forts, where they could read until nightfall, were always their favorite spaces. Sure, it took Irvin some time to find them, as they would set up pillow forts in different places, but they always managed to get what they wanted to say out until then. It was there when Mathias told Priscilla about living life in the capital, about their home, about Uncle Lassic and Alexander (there were hints of Mathias mentioning what his older sister had for Alexander David, and it makes Priscilla giggle behind the palm of her hand), and soon enough as the days pass they're close enough to share their secrets and fears. 

There's one day that is actual the Doucet family's last day in Sistina, and the pillow fort is outside this time. They're sure Irvin is out trying to find them again as they read from one of the giant storybooks together, the cloth they had worked together to hang up for their tent protecting them from the sun. 

"Are you ever going to come back to Sistina?" Priscilla speaks first for once, as for the past couple days it had always been him the one speaking first. This was surely a difference, and Mathias' attention is on her. 

"If my parents are close with your parents as they say they are, I'm sure we will," he promises. "Are you ever going to come to visit Eramu?" 

She nods. She doesn't know when, but she holds out a pinky to him. He takes it in response and they link their pinkies together. 

"That's a promise?" 

"Of course!" 

.

It's been weeks since they had come home, and the royal family anticipated their visitors coming almost immediately. Mathias waits in front of the doors, and it's not until the doormen start opening the door that he sees a familiar figure, and Priscilla comes in running in with a laugh, wrapping her arms around the prince and knocking him down. The prince is laughing as she does so, and almost immediately they both sit up afterwards. 

"You kept your promise!" he tells her, and he looks up at the sound of the pitter patter of footsteps and there's his twin sister following behind him and going to hug her. 

"Of course I did," she tells him, giving him a smile as she hugs Isabel back, and once again, that smile is enough to make him blush.


	6. speak (again)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> they're a little worried at first; the twins are quieter than most.

"They haven't said anything yet?" 

"No...the doctors did say that it was completely normal and not to rush them or anything..." 

Marrine peers closer to her twins, brows furrowed as she looks them in the eyes, but the expression breaks into that of a gentle smile and a laugh when Isabel and Mathias giggle and clap their hands when their mother leans in closer to see them. Isabel leans forward, to carefully knock her forehead against her mother's, and Marrine lets out another laugh, then carefully sitting her back up and rubbing her forehead. "Don't do that, Isabel. You're going to hurt yourself, hm?" 

Alexis is kneeling right next to her, then doing the same. Mathias then leans in closer to his father and places his hands against his face, and the emperor lets out a sigh when his son does so. "If the doctors said it was normal that they aren't speaking, I'm sure there's some good reason for it that it is." 

"Alexis, it's been past the point where they're supposed to be," Marrine narrows her eyes over at her husband and then back at their son and daughter, both sitting up supported by the cushions behind them. "I guess you're right, though...i think all we have to do is wait, then." 

"it's no hindrance to their development if they take a little longer to grow." Alexis was very good at reassuring her, especially in times like these. "They're going to be just fine -- if the doctors say so, then all we have to do is be patient and wait." 

"How are you so good at this?" 

Alexis only gives her a smile as he gets up from where he's kneeled, then leaning over to pick up the twins when they reach their arms out to him. Marrine watches as Isabel and Mathias nestle into his chest, and the smile on her face never leaves as she reaches a hand up to rub at his shoulders gently. "Come on. I'm sure that all three of you are hungry, right? Lunch is probably being prepared right now." 

. 

It's nightfall, and Marrine watches as Alexis slides into bed next to her, after a quick bath and reading to their children. They're asleep in the room within theirs, made into a tiny nursery while the chancellor was still pregnant. It was more room saved for them, after all, and they were able to hear when they were needed by their children. 

"You're not worried at all, about them speaking or not?" she doesn't look up from the book that she's reading when Alexis turns onto his side, watching her read. She lowers herself slightly to let him look on with her, and when he's able to lean on her and look on she can feel him shake his head, some of his hair tickling her arm. 

"I'm not worried if the doctors aren't," he tells her. "It might be normal, even. All babies I'm sure go at their own pace. Isabel might do things first that Mathias might not, and vice versa. They may be twins, but they're going to be very different than we might think." 

That's easy for him to say, after all, but Marrine knows that he's right. He's right, and that when she knows that she has a feeling that he's right the more reassured she is about what's to come. 

"Really, how do you do it?" the chancellor closes her book, which makes the emperor lying next to her blink. "How are you so good at letting me know that everything's going to be alright?" 

Alexis chuckles, then lifting the blanket slightly to let her nestle under the covers after she puts her book to the side. "I think after a year or so, I know you quite well at this point. When you're worried, I want to be able to help ease what's bothering you." 

She supposed that the moments when he was a little softer, especially on her, had done him a little more than well. There was always something about him, after all, that made the people all the more love him. Maybe the war had done him in a little too much, but Marrine knows that Alexis wouldn't change (and he did, but only a little bit -- and that change was for her), as a result of it. That part about him, that empathetic, kindhearted part about him...never truly went away. 

"You should get some rest, my love," Alexis yawns, and he leans over to kiss her forehead. "Goodnight." 

"Mm.." Marrine hums as she falls asleep after him. "Goodnight..." 

. 

It's morning, and Marrine tries to reach over to see if Alexis is there, and her eyes crack open only slightly when she runs her fingers across his side of the bed and she realizes that he is not. She then rubs her eyes and yawns, stretching up with a groan before hearing giggling coming from the twins' part of the room, and so she swings her legs over the side of the bed and gets up, slipping the robe on and tying it as she heads to the doorway. "Why are you all up so early --" 

"Mama!" Marrine is silent when she hears it, and her eyes widen slightly. Alexis has both Isabel and Mathias in his arms, and their daughter is giggling and all she can do is watch Mathias repeat the word after her. "Mama! Mama!" 

"Did..." All Marrine can do is gape, and she's sure that forming words properly is at the back of her mind, and her gaze turns to Alexis, who's smiling so widely that she's sure his face is going to be stuck like that if he grinned any wider. "They just --" 

"They both said a form of 'Papa' earlier when I came to check on them, but they spoke," he nods with a smile, then walking over to her. "Come on, say it again you two!" 

They're silent again, and Alexis and Marrine look at each other and then back at the twins. Well...that was close enough, but Marrine goes over to them and lifts a giggling Mathias into her arms with a smile of her own. "That's close enough, but you two _spoke_! _You two actually spoke_!" 

"I told you patience was key," Alexis reminds her, and she exchanges a smile with him as she drags him to sit with her on their rocking chairs, so that they could prompt their children to say more, or even try again. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi! i'm going to be trying something new, but like what you read? i'm going to be starting up writing commissions fairly soon! there's going to be more information in my next update!


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